Chapter Summaries

Suikazan Fuguki arranged a Jashin Cult attack on Kirigakure to test Karatachi Yagura, while Mei Terumi confirmed the Fourth Mizukage was under a Genjutsu. After the attack, Fuguki tried to recruit Zabuza Momochi to assassinate Yagura, leaving Zabuza to consider his proposal.

• Suikazan Fuguki hired the Jashin Cult to attack Kirigakure and promised to help them enter the village.
• The Jashin Cult attacked, and Kirigakure's Kekkei Genkai clans confronted Karatachi Yagura until he promised to stop killing their clans.
• Obito and Zetsu suspected Fuguki was testing Yagura, while Mei Terumi and Ao concluded that Yagura appeared to be under a Genjutsu.
• Aoki Tsuki approached Mei Terumi and left her a scroll with his contact details before escaping as a Water Clone.
• Toriichi Kumade infiltrated Kirigakure to gather intelligence, but Zabuza Momochi killed him after discovering he was a Konoha spy.
• Fuguki urged Zabuza to join him in assassinating Yagura, then left without waiting for an answer.

Fuguki arranged an assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage, while Kisame uncovered Fuguki’s betrayal and resolved to kill him. Aoki Tsuki attacked Karatachi Yagura during a purge of the Yuki Clan, and the chapter ended with Obito and Zetsu observing their fight.

• Fuguki hired Aoki Tsuki to provoke the Fourth Mizukage into fighting at full strength, then urged Zabuza to seize the chance to kill him.
• Kisame learned Fuguki had betrayed Kirigakure, investigated a child with Ice Release, and discovered Fuguki had leaked the Mizukage’s plans to other clans and outsiders.
• Kisame decided to kill Fuguki and flee Kirigakure, while Mei Terumi secretly prepared to act on Aoki Tsuki’s warning.
• Karatachi Yagura led an assassination squad to purge a village where the Yuki Clan’s Ice Release had appeared, and Zabuza prepared to strike him.
• Aoki Tsuki attacked Yagura, who countered his techniques with Water Release as Obito and Zetsu watched from afar.

Zabuza and Aoki Tsuki failed to kill Karatachi Yagura, who escaped after a fierce fight. Kisame killed Fuguki, then met Obito, accepted his claim to be Madara Uchiha, and agreed to join the Akatsuki when the time was right.

• Zabuza and Aoki Tsuki fought Karatachi Yagura, but he escaped after using his techniques to fend them off.
• Aoki Tsuki offered Zabuza a place at his side, but Zabuza refused and left.
• Fuguki returned to Kirigakure and tried to send Kisame to spread information about Karatachi Yagura, but Kisame bound and killed him.
• Karatachi Yagura praised Kisame and made him the master of Samehada, while Kisame admitted he still did not trust him.
• Obito revealed himself to Kisame as Madara Uchiha and promised a world where Kisame could find belonging.
• Kisame accepted Obito's offer to join the Akatsuki when the time was right.

Mei, Mangetsu, and Ao confronted Karatachi Yagura and used Ao’s Sealing Jutsu: Release to break the control over him. Yagura regained his senses, but Kirigakure’s leaders were left wondering which Uchiha had controlled him and agreed to keep the truth secret.

• Mei learned that Karatachi Yagura had returned injured and ordered her allies to prepare, while the village announced Fuguki’s execution and Zabuza’s flight.
• Mei, Ao, and Mangetsu confronted Yagura at his residence as Obito and Zetsu fled their hidden chamber and planned to take control of Akatsuki.
• Mei and Mangetsu fought Yagura, and Mangetsu’s Hiramekarei pinned him down so Ao could examine the source of his control.
• Ao used Sealing Jutsu: Release to disrupt the seal and restore the connection between Yagura and the Three-Tails, expelling the foreign Chakra from his brain.
• Yagura regained his senses and recalled that a Sharingan had controlled him, while Genji advised Kirigakure’s leaders to conceal the truth as the village recovered.

Obito attacked Mangetsu after the Fourth Mizukage's situation was resolved, but Mei Terumi and Karatachi Yagura forced him to retreat. Obito planned to arrange Juzo Biwa's death so Kisame could partner with Itachi, while Zabuza found Haku in a snowy town and took him in as his tool.

• Obito caught Mangetsu alone and used lightning through a chain to exploit the Hozuki Clan's weakness, but Mei Terumi and Ao rescued him.
• Mei Terumi's acid mist forced Obito to stay intangible, allowing Karatachi Yagura to trap him briefly with Coral Palm before Obito escaped.
• Obito met Black and White Zetsu and ordered them to arrange a mission that would kill Juzo Biwa, letting Kisame replace him as Itachi's partner.
• Zabuza encountered Haku in a snowy town and asked whether he would give everything for him.
• Haku revealed his ice ability and agreed to become Zabuza's tool, and the two left together.

Itachi and Juzo Biwa fought Karatachi Yagura, and Itachi awakened Amaterasu while Juzo was mortally wounded. As the weakened Mizukage’s condition sparked a Kaguya Clan attack on Kirigakure, Kimimaro survived the clan’s destruction and was taken away by Orochimaru.

• Itachi and Juzo Biwa assassinated their target in Kirigakure, but Karatachi Yagura and hunter-nin caught up with them as they fled.
• Juzo Biwa and Itachi defeated the hunter-nin, but Karatachi Yagura wounded Juzo and attacked Itachi with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan awakened and unleashed Amaterasu, burning Karatachi Yagura and leaving him unconscious; Juzo Biwa collapsed from his injuries.
• Black and White Zetsu observed the battle, while Zabuza found the broken Kubikiribōchō and escaped as Kirigakure reinforcements arrived.
• After Karatachi Yagura was reported gravely wounded, the Kaguya Clan launched a night raid on Kirigakure and Kimimaro joined the fighting.
• The Kaguya Clan was destroyed, leaving Kimimaro as the sole survivor, and Orochimaru led him away.

The Akatsuki mourned Jūzō, paired Itachi with Kisame, and continued drawing new members into its ranks. Meanwhile, Orochimaru prepared to leave the organization, Zabuza rejected Aoki Tsuki’s recruitment offer, and the Jashin Cult’s leaders confronted Tsuki over his actions.

• Pain summoned the Akatsuki, where Itachi reported Jūzō’s death after a battle with the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, and Pain assigned Kisame as Itachi’s partner.
• Itachi and Kisame met on an island, exchanged warnings about their pasts and their treatment of comrades, and agreed to work together.
• Orochimaru reviewed research on a mysterious sample with Kabuto, discussed Kimimaro and Otogakure, and revealed that he planned to leave the Akatsuki after targeting Itachi.
• Zabuza trained Haku in the Land of Waves, urged him to specialize in Senbon, and refused Aoki Tsuki’s offer to join the Jashin Cult.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to the Jashin Cult’s base, where senior members criticized his actions for attracting the Five Great Nations’ attention, and Priest Hino angrily challenged him.

Aoki Tsuki used the Jashin Mask and Hidan’s ritual to demonstrate Jashin’s power, then took control of the Jashin Cult as its leader, Evil Dragon. After moving the cult’s base to the Land of Hot Water, he learned of the ritual’s consequences and received an invitation from Orochimaru to visit Otogakure.

• Aoki Tsuki challenged High Priest Takane’s authority and offered the Jashin Mask as proof that he could communicate with Jashin.
• Takane forced Hidan to test the mask, and Jashin’s descent drained sacrifices and spread a blood array that devoured more than one hundred followers before Aoki Tsuki stopped it with prepared sacrifices.
• Aoki Tsuki was acclaimed leader of the Jashin Cult, appointed his supporters to senior roles, and made Takane remain high priest.
• Aoki Tsuki announced himself as Evil Dragon through the underground Exchange and moved the cult’s base from the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water.
• Researchers found that Hidan’s blood carried a curse, while some followers who heard Jashin’s murmuring later suffered nightmares and killed themselves.
• Orochimaru congratulated Aoki Tsuki and invited him to Otogakure, while Aoki Tsuki considered how their growing organizations compared with the Akatsuki.

Aoki Tsuki perfected a powerful air-compression technique by copying Might Guy’s method, while the Jashin Cult expanded under his leadership. He received a summons to an Akatsuki meeting and met Orochimaru on the way to the shrine, where the chapter leaves them discussing a possible future alliance.

• Kisame and Itachi discussed Aoki Tsuki’s rise as leader of the Jashin Cult while returning from an assassination mission in the Land of Iron.
• Aoki Tsuki used Sage Mode and the Thousand-Armed Kannon to develop Air Realm: Greedy Wolf, a compressed-air attack that blasted a huge section of seawater away.
• Kikuno Momo sparred with Uchiha Izumi, warned her about the Jashin Cult’s leader, and kept the Uchiha legacy secret.
• Aoki Tsuki received a letter summoning Akatsuki members to a shrine in the Land of Grass, after spending more than two months perfecting his technique.
• Aoki Tsuki met Orochimaru on the way to the shrine, and the two praised each other’s rule-breaking ways and discussed working together in the future.

Aoki Tsuki attended an Akatsuki gathering where Kisame challenged him to a fight and Zetsu became a full member. Afterward, Orochimaru tried to seize Itachi’s body, but Itachi defeated him and severed his arm before Orochimaru escaped with Kabuto.

• Aoki Tsuki learned that his bounty had risen to fifty million ryo and offered Sasori money for his puppet research.
• Kisame challenged Aoki Tsuki to a fight, and Aoki agreed to test their strength.
• Black and White Zetsu joined Akatsuki as a full member and received the ring representing Black Tortoise.
• Orochimaru ambushed Itachi on the mountain path, but Itachi caught him in a Genjutsu and cut off his left arm.
• Kabuto helped Orochimaru escape, and Itachi continued down the mountain, planning to report the incident to Pain.

Aoki Tsuki fought Kisame Hoshigaki, using his diverse techniques and Ibuse to overcome Kisame’s chakra-absorbing abilities. After Aoki Tsuki’s Air Realm: Greedy Wolf shattered Kisame’s Great Shark Bullet and left him badly injured, Kisame admitted defeat and Aoki Tsuki acknowledged him.

• Aoki Tsuki opened with Moon Shadow and Lightning Burial, then trapped Kisame and Samehada in an explosive-tag-lined cavern; Kisame survived by hiding inside Samehada and using Water Release to escape.
• Aoki Tsuki filled the area with Hidden Mist, but Kisame used a second mist technique to track him and trapped them both inside Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
• Kisame attacked with feeding sharks, but Aoki Tsuki summoned Ibuse, whose poison and water techniques forced Kisame to dispel the water prison.
• Kisame used Great Shark Bullet, but Aoki Tsuki countered it with Air Realm: Greedy Wolf, which destroyed the shark and badly injured Kisame.
• Samehada transferred chakra to Kisame and helped him recover; Aoki Tsuki then ended the spar, and Kisame acknowledged his defeat.

Aoki Tsuki learned that Karin had awakened the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and reported her abilities to Konan, then encouraged Ajisai's training by demonstrating the Summoning Technique. The chapter ended with Ajisai determined to find her own summoning beast.

• Obito and the Akatsuki members discussed Kisame's battle, and Zetsu reported that Itachi had driven Orochimaru away from the organization.
• Pain announced Orochimaru's defection and ordered Aoki Tsuki to keep monitoring him without acting rashly.
• Karin told Aoki Tsuki she could sense people across Amegakure, and he identified her ability as the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
• Aoki Tsuki told Konan that Karin could sense chakra and detect lies, exaggerating how developed her abilities were.
• Aoki Tsuki found Ajisai training, taught her the hand signs for the Summoning Technique, and explained how summoning beasts could help her fight.
• Ajisai resolved to find her own summoning beast after Aoki Tsuki summoned Ibuse and demonstrated the technique.

Aoki Tsuki developed a faster Chakra Extraction Technique that produced elemental Chakra, then experimented with Lightning Release and new ninjutsu forms. He met Orochimaru at a base in the Land of Rice Fields and learned that Orochimaru had completed his reincarnation and still hoped Akatsuki’s plans would plunge the Shinobi World into chaos.

• Aoki Tsuki created a rotating taiji-based Chakra Extraction Technique that favored his natural Chakra natures and helped him reduce Water Dragon Bullet Technique’s hand seals to five.
• Aoki Tsuki imitated different Shape Transformation styles and experimented with lightning forms, planning a new attack based on bead lightning.
• After spending about a month in the village, Aoki Tsuki remembered Pain’s order to watch Orochimaru and traveled to the Land of Rice Fields.
• Aoki Tsuki found Orochimaru in a new vessel, with his severed hand and the Void ring preserved in a jar, and confirmed that Orochimaru had completed his reincarnation.
• Aoki Tsuki and Orochimaru discussed Akatsuki’s prospects; Orochimaru admitted he wanted its plan to succeed because a chaotic Shinobi World would give him more powers to study.
• Aoki Tsuki left intending to report that Orochimaru had not indicated he would sabotage Akatsuki’s plan.

After reporting Orochimaru’s immortality technique to Konan, Aoki Tsuki received a mission to gather intelligence on the Jinchūriki and a sealed Summoning Mask. He studied the Thunder God summoning method and planned new ways to strengthen himself, including stealing the Tsuchigumo Clan’s Fury technique.

• Aoki Tsuki told Konan that Orochimaru had developed Living Corpse Reincarnation and reassured her that Orochimaru did not know the Akatsuki’s objective.
• Konan assigned Aoki Tsuki to seek new talent and secretly gather intelligence on the villages’ Jinchūriki.
• Konan gave Aoki Tsuki a scroll describing how to summon a Thunder God and a mask protected by Pain’s seal.
• Aoki Tsuki studied the scroll and planned to adapt Thousand-Armed Kannon to contain Thunder God Mode.
• Aoki Tsuki decided to keep working with Orochimaru to obtain research on Jūgo’s abilities, while prioritizing his own growth.
• Aoki Tsuki set his sights on stealing the Tsuchigumo Clan’s Fury technique and listed his upcoming research and missions in his notebook.

Aoki Tsuki trained Karin and Ajisai in chakra control, then used his authority in the Jashin Cult to investigate Hidan’s growing powers and organize new research. He also gave Uchiha Izumi Genjutsu materials and asked her to prepare for the possibility that Hidan might turn against him.

• Aoki Tsuki reconciled with Karin using a lollipop and taught her and Ajisai chakra-control exercises at the training ground.
• Aoki Tsuki ordered Butsushura to investigate the Tsuchigumo Clan and Zabuza and to list the large lakes in the Land of Water.
• Aoki Tsuki instructed Hino’s research team to study Jashin’s abilities and begin a Thunder God research project.
• Hino reported that Hidan could grow stronger by absorbing pain and fear, heal by absorbing blood, and might be becoming a vessel for Jashin’s descent.
• Aoki Tsuki sent his Lightning Release notes to the research institute and gave Uchiha Izumi Genjutsu scrolls, asking her to help prepare against Hidan.

Aoki Tsuki maneuvered Zabuza into working for the Jashin Cult by cutting off his access to shipping jobs and drawing him to its arena in the Land of Hot Water. Zabuza accepted a security role while remaining wary, and Aoki Tsuki planned to keep him close for Akatsuki’s future use.

• Aoki Tsuki forced Gato to join the Jashin Cult and made him refuse Zabuza’s escort services unless Zabuza joined as well.
• Zabuza and Haku traveled to the Land of Hot Water, where Zabuza entered the arena and learned it was controlled by the Jashin Cult.
• Oyashiro En gave Zabuza a contract, a salary, and a villa, making him an elite arena enforcer under the cult’s name.
• Aoki Tsuki told Zabuza about the Fourth Mizukage’s death and Genji’s end to the Bloody Mist policy, then recruited him to guard the arena.
• Zabuza and Haku decided to stay in the Land of Hot Water, while Aoki Tsuki told Kikuno Momo he intended to keep Zabuza close and use him for Akatsuki missions if needed.
• Aoki Tsuki asked Kikuno Momo for an increasingly suggestive massage, and she accidentally hurt his back.

Aoki Tsuki found the Tsuchigumo Clan and traded his knowledge of Sage Mode and Ninjutsu for its Kinjutsu, while teaching Hotaru basic combat skills. After returning to the Land of Hot Water, he worked with the Jashin Research Institute to miniaturize Fury and discovered that its palm formulas could replenish his Natural Chakra and extend Sage Mode.

• Aoki Tsuki found En no Gyōja, Hotaru, and Tonbee in their mountain cottage, showed that he could absorb Natural Energy, and persuaded En no Gyōja to exchange techniques rather than fight.
• En no Gyōja agreed to give Aoki Tsuki the Tsuchigumo Clan's Kinjutsu if he taught Hotaru Ninjutsu and combat skills for two months.
• Aoki Tsuki trained Hotaru in Water Release and other techniques, then received the complete Kinjutsu scroll from En no Gyōja before leaving.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to the Land of Hot Water and enlisted the Jashin Research Institute to reduce Fury's long charge time and destructive range.
• After half a year of experiments, Aoki Tsuki activated the improved spiral formulas in his palms and found they could gather and release Natural Energy, replenish his Natural Chakra, and extend Sage Mode.

Aoki Tsuki located the Three-Tails on Yakushima, then entered Kirigakure to negotiate with Mei Terumi to rent Nuibari for Haku. Mei agreed to consider the request after he offered to take on the village’s dirty work, leaving the deal pending.

• Aoki Tsuki tested his charged hand techniques, checked the Jashin Cult’s projects, and learned that Orochimaru’s shipment of ninja and medical equipment was underway.
• Aoki Tsuki found Kikuno Momo overseeing Izumi and Haku’s sparring, and Kikuno knocked the two children unconscious after they witnessed him slap her.
• Two months later, Aoki Tsuki used Boundless Mind Domain on Yakushima and sensed a concentrated chakra signature matching the Three-Tails.
• Aoki Tsuki entered Kirigakure and met Mei Terumi at an izakaya, where he asked to rent Nuibari for Haku and revealed that Zabuza had joined the Jashin Cult.
• Mei said she needed to report the proposal, while Aoki offered Kirigakure help with work it could not handle and then left.

Aoki Tsuki secured Nuibari from Kirigakure and arranged for Haku to wield it, while Pain assigned Aoki Tsuki’s Land of Water work to Itachi and Kisame. At the Jashin Research Institute, Takane freed Hidan in hopes of regaining influence, but Hidan turned on him with the scythe Takane had provided.

• Aoki Tsuki agreed to Mei Terumi’s harsh lease terms for Nuibari and paid the deposit and three years’ rent.
• Zabuza gave Nuibari to Haku, who excitedly accepted the weapon and the prospect of becoming one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• Aoki Tsuki reported that the Jashin Cult had secured the Land of Water market, and Pain directed him to pass assignments to Itachi and Kisame.
• Pain admitted he could not learn Karin’s wide-range sensing ability, while Konan considered asking Aoki Tsuki for advice on developing a decisive attack.
• Takane smuggled a key to Hidan, who escaped confinement, killed two guards, and absorbed their blood.
• Takane handed Hidan a Triple-Bladed Scythe and urged him to sacrifice everyone, but Hidan stabbed Takane with it.

Hidan escaped the Jashin Research Institute and slaughtered his way toward the cult's headquarters before Kikuno Momo subdued him with genjutsu. Afterward, Aoki Tsuki halted research on Hidan and entrusted Kikuno Momo with managing the Jashin Cult while he focused on training.

• Hidan killed Takane, escaped his confinement, and slaughtered guards as he fought his way to the Jashin Cult's headquarters.
• Haku ambushed Hidan with Nuibari and cut him apart, but Hidan regenerated and survived Izumi's Great Fireball Technique.
• Kikuno Momo used her Sharingan genjutsu to knock Hidan unconscious, and guards bound him and carried him away.
• Kikuno Momo encouraged Izumi and Haku to build their courage before reporting Hidan's capture to Aoki Tsuki.
• Aoki Tsuki told Butsushura to stop researching Hidan, shift efforts to other fields, and take the cult's missionary work underground.
• Kikuno Momo told Aoki Tsuki that she had awakened her Sharingan and agreed to manage the Jashin Cult while he trained.